Patek Philippe Ref 3939 watch tops Hong Kong auction at nearly HK$4m

Never offered for sale before, the set, known as Hybris Mecanique, was led by an extraordinary Reverso Triptyque Grand Complication, which sold for HK$2.54m. The piece is packed with goodies from a visible tourbillion to a sidereal time counter.

Fascinating as the Jaeger LeCoultre watches will have been to fine watch fanatics, their eyes will inevitable have been drawn to a particular timepiece which is one of the few in the world to have a widely recognised reference number. It proved to be the star of the show.

This was a Patek Philippe Ref. 3939 Tourbillon Minute Repeater. The classic watch is encased in a pink gold and enamel dial. That's significant, as it seems that this was only the second 3939 to be sold in pink gold at auction anywhere.

One of the later examples of the watch for which production ran from 1992 to 2011, the 2010 watch owes a lot to Breguet, with Breguet numerals, Breguet hands and even the self-compensating free-sprung Breguet balance spring.

Accompanied by its original case, the timepiece had been listed at HK$2.75m-3.2m it proved irresistible to many collectors and the final price was an auction-topping HK$3.98m (roughly US$513,200).